Military Academy Gets a Reprieve

A 121-year old institution, in danger of closing down, gets a reprieve.

The New York Military Academy has been educating young people for 121 years. Since 1889, it's been a destination for students seeking a successful education.

Famous alumni include Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim, musician Les Brown, and perhaps its most famous alumnus, Donald Trump.

That tradition would soon become a distant memory unless a solution to save the school could be found.

NYMA had announced in the spring it would be forced to close at the end of this academic year. It had fallen victim to the recession, low enrollment and lack of support by alumni and the local community.

The school once boasted over 500 students. Today there are only 145.

In an effort to help save the school, several alumni had reached out to Help Me Howard to see if a story about their predicament could drum up support from the thousands of school alumni around the country.

Howard agreed to tell their story. He met with NYMA's School Superintendent, Captain Robert Watts. Watts freely discussed the issues the school faced.

They are a tuition-based school. They have no endowments, so they cannot provide scholarships or financial aid.

Another problem has been the low level of alumni support and involvement after graduation.

Captain Watts had been reaching out to several high-profile alumni for possible financial support. NYMA needed as much as 7-million dollars by mid June in order to stay open for next year and the next few years after that.

Many cadets, concerned they wouldn't be able to graduate from NYMA, were hoping for a last-minute reprieve.

The cadet's education wouldn't be the only casualty if NYMA closed. According to Captain Watts, the school pumps between 5 and 6 million dollars back into the local economy. Surrounding towns, like Cornwall, New York would take a big economic hit.

Anthony Scalese, who owns Italian Restaurant "Prima Pizza", in downtown Cornwall, lamented the school has been a staple in the community for over 100 years. He worries over how its' loss will affect everyone.

Howard also met with photographer and artist Spencer Tunick. Tunick's photographs of crowds of nudes has stirred controversy and fans around the world. Spencer told Howard that he actually credits NYMA with helping him create his art.

"What it really gave me was the opportunity to dream about the outside world. I actually would daydream while standing in formation. I learned a lot about moving masses of people into formation and position, at the military academy. I don't think I would be doing what I do right now, without NYMA."

So the story went out there. Howard broadcast the plight of the academy on May 10th of this year.

The school is crediting that broadcast with saving their school. "You guys really helped us get the message out there," said Chip DeLorenzo, an alum working to save the school. "Especially when it hit the networks, the social media. It went all over the country and basically all over the world. We got a lot of response back from that. Not only in terms of pledges for donations, but we got so many offers to help."

A group of local businessmen and alumni stepped up. One of them is Joseph Bonura. He owns Anthony's Pier 9. " We put together a package, $6 million dollars," said Joe.
" This will be a first mortgage on the property. This will eliminate their debt and approximately $2 million will go in a back account."

Bonura and the other investors will be on the school's board. "We're going to be watching the loan," Joe said. " We're going to be here. We're going to run it."

Howard asked Joe what caused him to get involved. His granddaughter had been going to another school, he explained. "Her marks weren't great. She's a good kid but she was failing and going to summer school. My daughter's idea was to bring her here. My granddaughter went from failing and going to summer school to getting exempt from every final exam, but one. Her first year at NYMA she got a 95 average and loves it. So someone is doing something right. We have very successful people coming out of here."

Success is sweet. Howard feels exceptionally pleased to have been a part of keeping the traditions of the New York Military Academy alive.

If you would like more information or if you too would like to contribute to The New York Military Academy, go to their website at http://helpsupportnyma.com/

Produced By Noreen Lark and Monique Singhroy